Liquid sampling apparatus



Dec. l2, 1939. I R. M. sLoUGH 2,183,338

LIQUID SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1959 s sheets-sheet 1 lINVENTOR wry-1:5555 Ralph JH. Slough/- Dec. l2, 1939. R. M. sLouGH LIQUID SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 19, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Vm mm A h IW). s .w E Y E l. N. 4.! n w Aw y uid sampling apparatus that may be used for Patented Dec. l2, 1939 vplural)srfres PM"ENTA OFFICE y LIQUID SAMPLING APPARATUS y vRalph M. Slough, Findlay,` Ohio, Vassignor to The Illinois vPipe Line Company, Findlay, Ohio,

a corporation ofrOhio Application January 19, 1939, Serial No. 251,709 1 claim. (o1. 'z3-421) This invention relates'to improvements in liqau'tomatically'drawing'samples of a liquid at predetermined-intervals from industrial systems, pipe lines and the like. y

In the transportation of crude oil and other liquid' through pipe lines it is desirable to take samples at predetermined intervals for the purpose of determining the character, particularly the specic gravity, and the amount of impurities present in the liquid. Heretofore no satisfactory apparatus has been provided for taking true samples or specimens of the liquid from the pipe line at the desired time intervals.

It is a particular object of this invention toA overcome the difficulties heretofore encountered and to provide improved apparatus which may be used for automaticallyfwithdrawing samples of the oil or other liquid passing through a pipe line at the desired time intervals.

' It is a further object of the invention to'provide apparatus of this character which will automatically eliminate stagnant liquid present in the apparatus so as to obtain an accurate specimen or ;y sample of the liquid passing through the pipe line.

A further object of thisinvention is the provision' of an improved apparatus of the above character which is positiveand accurate in its operation, "which is of relatively simple construction,

;'A having few moving parts, and which Will-operate over longperiods of time with comparative freedom from wear. y Y `In the accompanyingdrawings Figure l is a partially diagrammatic view of liquid sampling apparatus embodying my invention;

` Fig. 2 is adetail sectional viewof one type of Fig. 'v6 is a similar View showing lthe arrangenient of valves vduring the second stage in the` cycle 'of operation;

0' Fig. 7 is a similar view of the apparatus during" the third stage of the cycle of operation, and

Fig 8-is a detail view'v of the upper end of the sample container showing the connection between the container and the lling tube or duct.

As stated above, my apparatusis particularlyy suited for use in connection with pipe lines for the transportation of crude oil and other liquids, and inthe accompanying drawings -I have illustrated my apparatus as applied to such a -pipe line. g

Referring more particularly to Figure l, the numeral vIIl indicates a standard type of pipe line employed in the transportation of crude oil and other liquids. So as to withdraw sample specimens ofthe petroleum oil or other liquid passing through the' pipe line at the desired time intervals, I provide a conduit I I which projects through one side of the pipe line Il) so that the lower end I2 extends into the liquid passing through the pipe line. If desired, a manually controlled shutoff valve I3 may be provided in the conduit II. The point at'which the conduit I I passes through the'side ofthe pipe line Ill is preferably sealed so as to prevent the escape of liquid or loss of pressure at this point.

Since the pressure inside the pipe line is above atmospheric pressure and since the opposite end of conduit II is connected with containers at atmospheric pressure, the liquid in the pipe line will pass through the conduit into the containers when the control valves hereinafter described are opened. v y

The conduit II may be provided with the necessary elbows, joints and couplings as shown and iinally communicates with a primary control valve I4 which under normal conditions is closed. Thefoutlet end-of valve I4 is connected by means of aconduit I 5 to T-coupling I6 and one of the outlets of the T-coupling is connected by conduit II to valve I8 which is normally open. The outlet side of valve I8 is connected to conduit I9 which in turn communicates with the discard container 20; Y

Referring again to T-coupling I6, the other outlet thereof is connected by means of conduit 2l having the necessary couplings and elbows,

vto' athird valve `22 which is normally closed and is similar in construction to valve I4. The outlet vside of valve 22 is connected to conduit 23 which communicates at its opposite end with thesanple container A24. Both the discard container and the sample container communicate with the at- `mosphere and in this way itr will be appreciated tainer with`-a tubular neck V25 into which vthe 5s conduit 23 extends. The tubular neck is preferably soldered to the conduit 23 and is provided with a relatively small channel or duct 26 communicating at its upper end with the atmosphere and at its lower end with the inside of the container.

When the apparatus is in use the manually controlled valve I 3 is in open position. Normally the valves I4 and 22 are closed and valve I8 is open. Periodically the cycle of operation of the valves occurs so as to cause a sample specimen of the oil or other liquid passing through pipe line I9 to flow into sample container 24. When the apparatus is used for drawing test samples of petroleum from a petroleum pipe line I have found it desirable to draw a specimen of about half a pint every hour.

The cycle of operation is as follows:

Valve I4 is first caused to open for a sumcient length of time to permit the stagnant oil in conduits II and I5 to flow through conduit I1, valve I8 and conduit I9, into discardcontainer 20. Valve i8 is then caused to close and simultaneously valve 22 is caused to open, with the result that the oil flows through conduit 2|, valve 22 and conduit 23 into sample container 24.

When the desired amount of oil has flowed into the sample container the third stage of the cycle of operation occurs and valve I4 closes and simultaneously valve I8 opens. Valve 22 remains open for a sufficient period of time to permit the oil to drain out of the valve and out of conduits 2l and 23. Thereafter valve 22 closes and all of the valves are then in their normal position.

The cycle of operation just described occurs at the desired intervals which in the case of petroleum oil, as stated above, is preferably every hour. To cause the cycle of operation just described the valves I4, I8 and 22 are preferably magnetically operated and are controlled by suitable timing mechanism.

Valves I4 and 22 are of similar construction and this construction is clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thus each of these valves comprises a tubular portion 23 having an inlet and an outlet at its respective ends. A valve body 29 is formed on the end of armature 3U which is controlled by solenoid 3|. Normally the Valve is held in closed position extending across the tubular portion 28 by means of a compression spring 32 extending between the top casing 33 and the end of armature 36. When the winding of solenoid 3I is energized, armature 39 is shifted upwardly against the tension of spring 32, causing the valve to Open.

Valve I8 is shown in Fig. 3 and comprises a tubular portion 34 having an inlet and an outlet at its respective ends and provided with a valve body 35 formed at the end of armature 36, which in turn is controlled by solenoid 31. The valve 35 is normally held in open position by means of tension springs 38 connected between the top of casing 39 and the lower end of the armature 36, which is tubular as shown. When the winding of solenoid 31 is energized armature 36 is caused to shift to the right against the tension of spring 38 as Viewed in Fig. 3, thereby shifting the valve body 35 across the tubular portion 34 and closing the passage.

The solenoids of the several valves are connected in a suitable electric circuit `having switches operated by time-controlled mechanism, so as to cause the cyclical operation of the valves at the desired time intervals in the manner described above. It will be appreciated that dif- Vcam-operated switch 55.

ferent types of time-controlled mechanism may be employed and that I have merely shown one satisfactory illustrative type of timing mechamsm.

The wiring circuit comprises two leads 40 and. 4I leading from a suitable source of electric current and connected to the double pole switch 42. The opposite terminals of the switch 42 are connected in turn to leads 43 and 44. One end of the solenoid winding of each of the Valves I4, I8 and 22 is connected by leads 45, 46 and 41 respectively to the lead 43. The opposite end of the solenoid winding for valve I4 is connected by lead 48 to a cam-operated switch 49 and by leads 48 and 56 to a cam-operated switch 5I.

' The opposite end 'of the winding of the solenoid for`valve I8 is connected by lead 52 to cam-operated switch 53 and the opposite end of solenoid winding for valve 22 is connected by lead 54 to Switches 49, 5I, 53 and 55 are connected by leads 56, 51, 58 and 59 to lead which in turn is connected to lead 44. It will thus be seen that when either switch 49 or 5I is closed the solenoid circuit for valve I4 is closed, with the result that the valve opens. Likewise, when switch 53 is operated the solenoid circuit of valve I8 is completed, with the result that the valve closes, and when switch 55 is operated the solenoid circuit of valve 22 is completed, causing the valve to open.

'I'he cyclical operation of the several switches 49, 5I, 53 and 55 is caused by cams 6I, 62, 63 and 64 mounted on shaft 65 and each of which is provided with a dwell portion adapted to engage and close its respective switch at the desired time. The cams are adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction and it will be seen that the dwell portion of cam 6I engages its switch 49 prior to the engagement of the dwell portions of the remaining cams. The dwell portions of each of the cams 62, 63 and 64 engage their respective switches simultaneously, but it will be seen that the dwell portion of cam 64 is slightly longer than the remaining dwell portions, with the result that it continues to engage switch 55 after the other dwell portions have ceased to engage their respective switches. Thus it will be seen that upon the rotation of shaft 65 the valves I4, I8 and 22 are caused to operate cyclcally in the manner described above.

To cause the operation of the shaft I provide a gear 66 mounted on the shaft and engaging a pinion 61 mounted on the armature of electric motor 58. When motor 68 is operated it accordingly causes the rotation of shaft 65 and the cyclical operation of the Valves.

I have already pointed out that it is desirable to cause the cyclical operation of the valves at predetermined time intervals. To accomplish this result I provide a timeclock 69 of standard construction. The clock may be electrically operated, being connected by leads 10 and 1I to the leads 43 and 44. It will be seen that lead 1I is also connected to a terminal 12 on the clock. At predetermined intervals, which are subject to variation and adjustment, the circuit between terminal 12 and another terminal, 13, is closed. It will be seen that terminal 13 is connected by a lead 14 to motor 68 which is also connected by lead 15 to lead 43. Thus, at predetermined intervals when the timeclock operates, the circuit of motor `68 is completed through leads 43 and 15 and through lead 14, terminal 13, terminal 12, and leads 1I and 44.

It will be appreciated however, that the timeclock S9 onlycause's a momentary closing of thev circuit and accordingly I also provide means for locking in the circuit for a complete cycle of operation. This means'comprises a disk 1B mounted on the end of shaft 65. The disk is formed of conducting material butis provided with an insulated spot 'll' as shown. A brush or contact member 18 wipes the periphery of disk 16 and is connected to lead 44. Another brush or contact 79 wipes the face of the disk in the normal path of movement of the spot 'H and is connected to lead M. When the mechanism is in a position of rest the brush 'i9 contacts the insulated spot Ti. When the timeclock l@ closes the circuit to motor 63 the motor will operate, causing the rotation of gear 66, shaft 65 and disk it, with the result that brush i9 no longer engages spot 'il but will rest on the face of the disk. The circuit will then be completed to the motor through lead M, brush i9, disk i6, brush i8 and lead 44. It will be appreciated that the circuit will remain closed until brush 'i9 once again engages the insulated spot '17, at which time the circuit opens, causing the motor to cease operating.

When my device is used for obtaining test samples of petroleum oil from a pipe line it operates as follows:

Manually operated valve i3 is opened and switch l2 is closed. Timeclock Es is adjusted so as to cause the periodical closing of the circuit to motor 68 at the desired time intervals, preferably every hour. Cams 6i to 64 are also adjusted and arranged so as to cause the cyclical operation of the valves as hereinafter described and so as to cause the desired quantity of sample to be drawn into the sample container during each cycle of operation and so as to also cause complete drainage of the stagnant oil into discard container 2li. During the period between the cyclical operation of the valves their normal position is as indicated in Fig. 4 with valves M and 22 in closed position and valve lil in open position.

When the timeclock 69 closes the circuit to motor 68, shaft @5 is rotated and the first result is that the dwell portion of cam 6l engages and closes switch 49. This completes the solenoid circuit of valve i4, opening the valve asv shown in Fig. 5. During this period the oil in conduit li and valve It is caused to flow downwardly through conduit ll to the valve i8, and conduit I9 into discard container 20. Thereafter the second stage in the cycle of operation occurs in which cams 62, S3 and Si! engage their respective switches, causing valve -l f3 to remain open, causing valve i8 to` close, and causing valve 22 to open, as shown in Fig. 6. During this stage of operation the oil is caused to iiow through conduit 2l valve 22 and conduit 25, into the sample container. Thereafter the third stage in the cycle of operation occurs, which is illustrated in Fig. 7. During this stage of operation all of the cams have released their engagement with their respective switches, with the exception of cam 64 which continues to engage its switch and to hold valve 22 in open position for a suicient period of time for all of the oil to drain out of the valve and out of conduits 2| and 23. Upon further rotation of shaft 65, cam 64 releases engagement with switch 55 and the valves all resume their normal position as shown in Fig. 4. At this stage in the operation brush 'I9 rests upon insulated spot 'il with the result that operation of the motor ceases.

The cycle of operation as described above is repeatedr at the desired time intervals upon the operation of timeclock 69.

' It will be seen that I have provided improved sampling apparatus for withdrawing the desired quantity of a liquid from a pipe line or from an industrial system at the desired time intervals, and that the sample thus withdrawn is a true specimen of the liquid flowing through the pipe line at that time. It will also be seen that the apparatus is of comparatively simple construction and that it is positive in its operation. It should be understood that at desired time intervals such as once a day, the sample container 24 may be emptied and the liquid therein tested.

Petroleum pipe lines are usually of uniform pressure and accordingly, when my apparatus is used in connection with a petroleum pipe line a measured amount of liquid will ow into the sample container during a predetermined time interval. Where my apparatus is used in connection with a system that does not have a uniform pressure a pressure-regulating valve may be inserted in conduit ll.

It will be appreciated that by varying the arrangement and adjustment of the cams different quantities of liquid can be withdrawn, and that by varying the adjustment of the timeclock the samples can be withdrawn at different time intervals.

It should be understood that modifications may be made in the illustrated and described embodiments of my invention, such as varying the type of time-controlled mechanism and valves employed.

I claim:

A samplingapparatus for liquids comprising a conduit adapted to receive the liquid to be sampled, a primary control valve for the conduit, a discard conduit leading from the first-mentioned conduit beyond the primary control valve and adapted to withdraw from the system and discard stagnant liquid present in the conduits, a second valve for controlling the discard conduit, a sampling conduit connected to the first-mentioned conduit beyond the primary valve and adapted to receive and withdraw from the system the liquid to be sampled, a third valve for controlling the sampling conduit, and means for causing the sequential operation of the valves so as to iirst withdraw through the discard conduit the stagnant liquid in the system, then withdraw a true sample of the liquid through the sampling conduit, and finally drain the liquid from the sampling conduit.

RALPH M. SLOUGH.

Cil 

